Tag: Bellator 250

Spinning Back Clique: On Khabib’s retirement, legacy and ramifications to follow

Check out the latest episode of Spinning Back Clique, which covers the fallout from UFC 254 and looks ahead to Bellator 250.

Welcome to “Spinning Back Clique,” MMA Junkie’s weekly show that takes a spin through the biggest topics in mixed martial arts. This week, Simon Head hosts the panel of MMA Junkie Radio hosts “Gorgeous” George and “Goze,” as well as MMA Junkie’s Danny Segura. Let’s get after it!

SHOW TOPICS

  • This past Saturday at UFC 254, [autotag]Khabib Nurmagomedov[/autotag] retained the lightweight title with yet another dominant performance, this time submitting [autotag]Justin Gaethje[/autotag] in the second round of their main event. Afterward, Nurmagomedov shocked the masses by announcing his retirement, citing a promise to his mother not to fight anymore now that his father, Abdulmanap, has passed away. This one doesn’t feel like most other MMA retirements, so our question is simple: Will Khabib’s stick?
  • On the heels of his retirement, everyone’s been talking about Nurmagomedov’s place among all-time great MMA fighters after he leaves with a perfect record of 29-0. One person not down with anyone’s claim of Khabib as the GOAT is Jon Jones. But what do you think? Is Khabib the MMA GOAT, or does he at least have a case?
  • Nurmagomedov’s retirement means the lightweight championship will be made vacant, which will have some major ramifications in the division, affecting the next bookings of [autotag]Conor McGregor[/autotag], [autotag]Dustin Poirier[/autotag], [autotag]Tony Ferguson[/autotag], [autotag]Michael Chandler[/autotag], Gaethje, and more. What does the UFC do now with the most stacked division in the sport?
  • Former middleweight champion [autotag]Robert Whittaker[/autotag] won his second straight fight at UFC 254 with an impressive performance against Jared Cannonier, and just like that, “The Reaper” has set himself up for a possible title rematch with [autotag]Israel Adesanya[/autotag]. HOWEVER, Adesanya has options. While a new challenger in Cannonier made all the sense for him to defend his title, Whittaker’s win complicates matters. Perhaps now is the time for Adesanya to move up and either challenge for the light heavyweight title or set up a showdown with rival Jon Jones?
  • Bellator 250 features one of the biggest fights of the year for the promotion as welterweight champ [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] moves up to fight [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] for the vacant middleweight title. Would it be better for business for Bellator to have a champ-champ in Lima or for Mousasi to reclaim the title?

For answers to all of those questions, watch Episode 50 of “Spinning Back Clique” above.

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Pro wrestling star Jake Hager books MMA return for Bellator 250 on Oct. 29

Former WWE champion and current AEW star Jake Hager will return to Bellator action.

[autotag]Jake Hager[/autotag] is venturing back into the world of MMA.

A former WWE champion and current AEW star, Hager (2-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA) will compete in his fourth MMA fight, this time at Bellator 250 against fellow undefeated heavyweight [autotag]Brandon Calton[/autotag].

The event takes place Thursday, Oct. 29 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network after prelims on CBSSports.com. Hager vs. Calton (2-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will take place as part of the preliminary card.

Hager, 38, hasn’t competed inside the cage since a no contest in September 2019 in which he kneed opponent Anthony Garrett in the groin multiple times. The second knee was a fight finisher, deemed by referee Dan Miragliotta to be unintentional, thus the no contest ruling.

Prior to the Garrett fight at Bellator 231, Hager has picked up back-to-back wins via arm-triangle choke submission against TJ Jones and JW Kiser.

Fighting out of Virginia, Calton, 40, has won both of his professional fights by TKO. In his pro debut in June, Calton won via a 14-second knockout. He then followed it up with a second-round TKO in his sophomore outing. Calton’s professional career comes on the heels of an undefeated amateur career in which he went 5-0.

With the addition, the Bellator 250 lineup includes:

  • Gegard Mousasi vs. Douglas Lima – for the Bellator middleweight title
  • Sabah Homasi vs. Bobby Voelker
  • Cody Law vs. Orlando Ortega
  • Johnny Eblen vs. Taylor Johnson
  • Nick Newell vs. Zach Zane
  • Brandon Carlton vs. Jake Hager

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Bellator 250 adds Nick Newell vs. Zach Zane, two other fights to lineup

Three fights have been added to the Bellator 250 lineup, including Nick Newell’s return.

The Bellator 250 lineup is now three fights deeper.

Among the additions are a lightweight rebooking between [autotag]Nick Newell[/autotag] and [autotag]Zach Zane[/autotag], a middleweight matchup between [autotag]Taylor Johnson[/autotag] and [autotag]Johnny Eblen[/autotag], as well as a featherweight fight between [autotag]Cody Law[/autotag] and [autotag]Orlando Ortega[/autotag].

Bellator 250 takes place Thursday, Oct. 29 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card airs on CBS Sports Network after prelims on CBSsports.com.

A promotion official confirmed the three bookings to MMA Junkie on Tuesday after initial reports from MMA Fighting (Newell-Zane), Fansided (Johnson-Eblen), and MyMMANews (Law-Ortega).

Newell (16-3 MMA, 1-1 BMMA) and Zane (14-9 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) were originally scheduled to fight at Bellator 241 in March. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the card was canceled hours before the first prelim was scheduled to take place.

Newell, 34, will look to rebound from his first loss in Bellator – a split decision defeat to Manny Muro at Bellator 232 in October. As for Zane, he’ll aim to keep his winning ways alive after earning a unanimous decision victory over Nainoa Dung at Bellator 236 in December.

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Johnson (6-1 MMA, 1-0 BMMA) was last seen on Sept. 11 at Bellator 245, submitting Ed Ruth with a heel hook submission in 59 seconds. As for Eblen (6-0 MMA, 2-0 BMMA), the Jorge Masvidal protege is undefeated and has finished four of his six pro victories.

A former wrestling standout at Penn State University, Law (0-0 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) will make the jump to MMA’s big leagues for his professional debut. Dropping to featherweight, Law will take on Ortega (3-3 MMA, 0-0 BMMA) who is moving up from bantamweight.

With the additions, the Bellator 250 lineup includes:

  • Gegard Mousasi vs. Douglas Lima – for the Bellator welterweight title
  • Sabah Homasi vs. Bobby Voelker
  • Nick Newell vs. Zach Zane
  • Johnny Eblen vs. Taylor Johnson
  • Cody Law vs. Orlando Ortega

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Gegard Mousasi vs. Douglas Lima middleweight title bout rebooked for Bellator 250

After a delay, Bellator’s middleweight title finally will be on the line next month – and a current champion will try for a second belt.

After a delay, Bellator’s vacant middleweight title finally will be on the line next month – and a current champion will try for a second belt.

Former middleweight champion [autotag]Gegard Mousasi[/autotag] (46-7-2 MMA, 4-1 BMMA) takes on welterweight champ [autotag]Douglas Lima[/autotag] (32-7 MMA, 14-3 BMMA) for the vacant 185-pound title in the Bellator 250 main event, the promotion announced Friday.

Bellator 250 takes place Oct. 29, a Thursday, at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn. The main card will air on the promotion’s new CBS Sports Network broadcast home.

The two were supposed to fight for the belt vacated by Rafael Lovato Jr. on May 9, but COVID-19 cancellations scrapped that fight till now.

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Mousasi beat Rafael Carvalho to win the middleweight title in May 2018, then defended it against Rory MacDonald. But in June 2019, he lost the belt to Lovato. In September 2019, Mousasi bounced back with a split decision win over Lyoto Machida to get back into the mix.

Lima won the welterweight title in dominant fashion at Bellator 232 in October 2019 against MacDonald, whom he had lost to in a title challenge at Bellator 192 in January 2018. Prior to that, he beat Andrey Koreshkov and Michael Page, both by stoppage, in Bellator’s welterweight grand prix to get the shot at MacDonald.

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